TN: 1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino (Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo)

Doug_Lee · January 2, 2015, 6:21pm

1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (1/2/2015)
First Monfortino. Decanted for 2 hours and followed for 3 more. Dark scarlet hue with bricking at the edges. Wondrous, complex nose of fecund soil, licorice, camphor, lavender, roses, currant, and asphalt. Just as captivating on the palate with slowly building layers of strawberry, red currant, balsamic, tar, porcini, and a hint of soy. At one point late in the evening yielded a nearly perfect moment of ringing red fruit, massaging texture, aristocratic structure, and tarry sweet grip. Exhibited substantial tannins just beginning to smooth off, balanced by still ample acidity. Long, persistent finish of autumnal red fruit complicated by earth and mushroom. Still young and capable of greater things, this monumental wine gave us pause even at this early stage. (95 pts.)

Cary_Rosner · January 3, 2015, 1:40am

Doug,

Great notes! A couple of questions since I’ve got this both in 750 and in Mag. Would this benefit from a longer decant? What do you think the timeframe is to drink them, and lastly if you didn’t decant, what do you think the timeframe would be if you opened for air and then let the wine develop in a nice stem? Thanks Cary

Doug_Lee · January 3, 2015, 2:50am

Hi Cary,

This being my first experience with the wine, my comments should be taken with a grain of salt! However, since you were kind enough to ask…

I would decant, or even better, slow-O the wine for a longer period - perhaps 8 hours or more. The wine was clearly better at the end of the evening. I’m not sure that airing out the wine in a stem would be that much different than slowly oxygenating it in bottle.

I initially thought that it was too early to sample the 1997 but took some cues from Anthony Galloni’s recent write up regarding what must have been a spectacular Monfortino vertical. I’d have to go back to see if he gave some clues as to how he prepared each bottle before consumption.

Hope that is helpful. Enjoy.

Cheers,
Doug

Cary_Rosner · January 3, 2015, 3:07am

Doug,

Helps tremendously! Thanks for taking time out to respond. Regards Cary

Jeremy_Holmes · January 3, 2015, 3:09am

Sounds very good Doug.

Doug_Lee · January 3, 2015, 3:13am

Jeremy,

Lovely wine. Makes one meditate.

Cheers,
Doug

Bill_Sweeney · January 3, 2015, 4:56pm

I love to read notes like this, where a real chunk of time is taken to follow a great wine. A counterpoint to those massive tastings where large numbers of invaluable wines are briefly sampled.

Doug_Lee · January 3, 2015, 5:46pm

Thanks, Bill. It certainly was a wine to savor.

Cheers,
Doug

Bob_Hughes · January 3, 2015, 8:25pm

Not to disagree with Doug, as I haven’t tried the specific wine, but I generally find Conterno’s wines reward decanting, which is clearly going to expose the wine to a lot more air than slow-O will. At a couple of our tastings where Monfortino was featured, we would decant wines like the '78 and '90 for 3-4 hours prior to dinner being served (so probably more like 4-5 hours in decanter by the time we got to the wine). With a wine that has Monfortino’s structure and bouquet, IMO you really need to give it adequate time to unwind before diving in. As just one more data point from a similar time period, I’ve had multiple bottles of the '98 Cascina Francia over the years, and this young wine has consistently shown best with 8-10 hours in the decanter prior to serving.

Doug_Lee · January 3, 2015, 11:58pm

Bob,

I certainly appreciate your advice, will treat my next bottle of Monfortino accordingly.

I have a bottle of the 1990 in the wings, and had planned on waiting 3-5 years to try it. Specific bottle handling instructions will be adjusted!

Cheers,
Doug

Peter_Hirsch · January 4, 2015, 12:05am

Very helpful thread.
I own nothing older than the '96, and wonder if any of the ones I own ('96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '04, '05, '06) will be ready for prime time drinking before it’s time for me to take that dirt nap…
Possibly we’re just curators for a future generation…

Doug_Lee · January 4, 2015, 12:13am

Peter,

Yes, many of us were born too late.

I am no expert, but I wonder if the 1997, 2000, and 2005 might be ready earlier than the others, relatively speaking.

Cheers,
Doug

Sarah_Kirschbaum · January 4, 2015, 12:17am

We recently visited with Roberto at the winery and he said he believes the 2000 is “just starting to be approachable.”

Bob_Hughes · January 4, 2015, 1:15am

I hear you, Peter - I have the '99 in magnum, and I’m sure my youngest daughter will enjoy it when she opens it in 2040 .